The other day felt like the beginnings of spring in the northeast, as temperatures climbed towards the 60’s. We’ve only seen two snows here this winter - one sadly, which I missed. So what is a cold-weather loving girl to do on a beautiful, sunny day that seemed to mark the end of winter? Why start her spring cleaning, ofcourse! As I opened the windows and began going through every drawer, closet and cubby, I came across some items that brought me right back to this time last year. Neatly folded among Sutton’s crib sheets were his swaddle blankets and soft baby rattles. Oh, it took my breath away to remember how small he was! Wishful thinking, I lifted them to my nose to see if I could smell any hints of newborn baby on them: baby lotion, hints of hand sanitizer or Dreft detergent. But they were void of any scent, as sheepishly, I remembered washing them and packing them away with hopes of another baby to come. Ouch. Tears filled my eyes with memories of a tiny baby and the hopes of another one lost. I called to Brad, and he came like he always does to comfort me. He wiped my tears away and urged me to remain positive, to not lose sight of what was part of God’s plan for us. He also reminded me that it could have all gone the other way, and that we were blessed to have had such a wonderful NICU experience and have our son home with us. Have our healthy son home with us. With those tender words, I could physically feel my body relaxing and the selfishness draining from my heart. In an instant, I knew what I had to do. I remembered months before we had donated our Fischer-Price lamb swing and infant seat to the NICU once Sutton had outgrown them. On daily trips to the NICU, I remembered seeing little ones in the discharge nursery sitting in them while they were being readied to go home, and thought they could use the new gear. In the past year we had also donated many cute preemie outfits and sleepers that our growing boy no longer needed. As memories flooded my head, I knew these blankets and heirloom rattles needed a new home. In my continued spring cleaning that day, I found several other items that could be donated as well: a Medela tote, clean and sanitized phalanges and tubing, never used bottles and breast milk storage bags. Sentiments aside, holding on to these items no longer makes sense, and I am hopeful they will come in handy for another preemie parent. Not to mention, it’s a cathartic and healing experience to give back to our NICU, a place of hope for us and so many others. With the Easter season upon us, it reminds me that this is a time of renewal and new beginnings. The old adage “out with the old, and in with the new” comes to mind. I encourage all parents, not just preemie parents, to look around and see what new or gently used items can be donated to the local NICU. Some NICUs have donation hours or specific times that they cannot have visitors due to shift changes or scheduling. Please reach out to your local NICU to see what their guidelines are, especially if you no longer have a child in the NICU. Below I have created a list of items that come in handy for preemies and their parents. Happy giving!

Meg: I felt myself tearing up at this story. I know how hard that must have been for you. You have turned a difficult moment for you into a blessing for another family. I know that God has given you and Brad the gift of Sutton but he has also given all of us the gift of you.

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I’m a southern gal to the core who lives for my family, has a serious weakness for chocolate, a penchant for anything that can be monogrammed and loves to craft and sew. Thank you for your interest and welcome to His Middle Name!